I would like to add that I hope we don't have snow like in the photo this winter! It was miserable, especially for a dog with very little fur. Andy and I don't mind a few inches of snow, but last winter was ridiculous! We couldn't even walk a lot of the winter because some neighbors never shoveled their sidewalks and even though we live in a little neighborhood people insist on driving like maniacs. To walk in the street is to take you life in your hands.
When I knit Andy's sweater, it was the first time I ever knit short rows. I had to search the internet and find written and video on how to do it. Sometimes that is difficult. I have found that www.knittinghelp.com has some excellent videos. I learned the kitchener stitch from that site as well (also called grafting).
The greyhound sweater calls for a 16" round needle. I had a hard time finding one of those in the correct size. I also learned how to knit with two round needles on Knitting Help. It was a challenge at first, but seems easy to me now. Eventually, I did get a 16" needle much later, so when I started this sweater I had one. It was too wide to use double pointed needles, they kept falling off because there were so many stitches. I also have learned the magic loop (I think Knitting Help has a video for that too) since then, so there are many ways to start the neck of this dog sweater!
I used a clover 16" #6 bamboo needle. The pattern calls for a #7, but I always knit loosely and usually have to go one size down to get the gauge, sometimes two sizes down.
The neck is a turtle neck that can be unfolded and used as a snood to cover the ears when it is really cold. There is a hole in the neck of the sweater where you can attach a leash to the dog's collar. That is good for when you walk the dog so you don't have to put the leash down the turtle neck. That would be uncomfortable!
I have almost reached the part of the sweater when you knit back and forth, but I'm still knitting in the round. The K2, P2 ribbing changes as you add stitches so it has become K3, P2, K4, P2, still keeping the ribbing pattern.
It's hard to see the ribbing in the photo, but it's there. I have switched to a larger round needle because there are about 124 stitches on the needle now, too many for the 16". That is really just for the turtleneck part. I'm in the process of doing the increase for the chest and soon will be doing those short rows. I had to watch the videos again to remember how to do them!
I'm also working on Chanukah gifts for my family. I can't say what they are here! Only the people in my Stitch 'N Bitch group know what I'm doing. I'll just say that it's been very challenging and knitting on teeny needles is like knitting with toothpicks! Going back and forth from those projects to the dog sweater is an adjustment. The #6 needle seems so big.
Since there are 7 people in my brother's family who need gifts, it takes months to knit them all. This year has been quite a challenge. I will post photos here once I send the gifts, but you never know who might read this...
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